“The Blind Girl,” painted by John Everett Millais between 1854 and 1856, is an exquisite example of Romanticism executed in oil on canvas. The genre painting measures 62.2 x 82.6 cm and is currently housed at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in Birmingham, UK.
In the artwork, two girls are seated in a lush, green meadow. The older girl, who is blind, is enveloped in a brown cloak, her eyes gently closed as she leans backward, with a concertina and a few books resting on her lap. The younger girl is nestled close to her, using the cloak to shield herself from the bright sunlight. The background features an idyllic rural scene with a radiant double rainbow arching across a dark, clearing sky above a small village. The painting captures a poignant juxtaposition between the serene beauty of nature and the tranquil, introspective expressions of the figures. Overall, the artwork conveys a deep sense of tranquility, resilience, and the poignant beauty of human connection.
